Never Forget - Chapter 25

Getting to go back with Qin Zhizhen was all Ye Zhuyi had ever wanted, but she still couldn’t stop worrying about Xiao Qiao and Lian Rong. This area was an abandoned train station, a popular spot for photos, but it was so remote that catching a taxi was nearly impossible.

“It’s about to rain, and the car is broken,” Ye Zhuyi said anxiously. “How will you get back after you’re done?”

“Don’t worry, Teacher Ye,” Lian Rong replied with a mischievous grin, sticking out her tongue. “I already called the repair service. Once they change the tire, I’ll take Sister Xiao Qiao to the nearby mall for a bit. We’ll sneak off and have a feast! Hehe. We’ll let you know when we’re on our way back.”

Lately, Qin Zhizhen and Ye Zhuyi had to strictly control their weight. As their assistants, Lian Rong and Xiao Qiao couldn’t eat too well either, or they might tempt the two on their diet.

Hearing Lian Rong’s well-organized plan, Ye Zhuyi felt a bit more relieved. She offered a few more comforting words to the still-crying Xiao Qiao, then reminded Lian Rong not to stay out too late. Finally, she turned and walked toward Qin Zhizhen’s RV.

Thunder rumbled in the distance. Lightning flashed across the sky, splitting the heavy clouds like the branches of a tree.

Before long, raindrops began to soak into her hair. Ye Zhuyi paused for a moment, then quickened her pace, jogging across the set.

Not everyone had left the set yet. When the rain started, they all opened their umbrellas.

As luck would have it, Ye Zhuyi happened to be passing by Xu Qingfeng just as he opened his umbrella. He called out her name.

Out of politeness, Ye Zhuyi stopped and turned to him. “Yes? What is it?”

“I heard you’re having some trouble. Let me walk you back,” Xu Qingfeng suggested with a gentle smile.

The “trouble” he mentioned was all too obvious.

Ye Zhuyi didn’t say a word. She stared at him thoughtfully for a moment, then lowered her head with a frown.

“Let’s go,” Xu Qingfeng said, assuming her silence was just shy embarrassment and taking it as tacit consent.

“Thank you, but no need,” Ye Zhuyi politely declined.

In the time it took to exchange those few words, the rain had already intensified.

Her phone vibrated in her hand. Ye Zhuyi tapped the screen to check the message.

Zz: [Where are you? I’ll pick you up.]

Ye Zhuyi glanced around and spotted a beach umbrella nearby. She held her phone with both hands to reply to Qin Zhizhen. The screen was unresponsive from the raindrops, and it took her a while to type and send the message.

Despite being rejected, Xu Qingfeng didn’t leave. He kept holding the umbrella over Ye Zhuyi to shield her from the rain. “It’s pouring,” he urged again. “Let me walk you back.”

Before Xu Qingfeng could finish his sentence, Ye Zhuyi had already dashed from beneath his umbrella to the shelter of a beach umbrella. It was the director’s sunshade, which hadn’t been taken down yet, and two photographers were huddled under it with their precious cameras, taking cover from the rain.

Xu Qingfeng fell silent for a moment, then turned and walked away.

The torrential rain slammed into the ground, splashing up into a fine mist. It was coming down so hard that Ye Zhuyi was half-soaked by the time she reached the shelter. She was wearing a light-colored T-shirt today, and she knew that if it got any wetter, her underwear would start to show through. So, she simply hugged her arms and crouched down on the ground.

“Teacher Ye, you didn’t bring an umbrella either?” the male photographer asked. “Are you waiting for a ride while you shelter here?”

Only then did Ye Zhuyi realize who was under the umbrella with her: the female photographer who took the candid stills and the male photographer who had taken the official promotional photos.

“Heh, we’re just waiting here too. Don’t we look like lost and found items waiting to be claimed at a mall?” the female photographer joked with a smile.

Ye Zhuyi lowered her head and glanced again at the message Qin Zhizhen had sent her on her phone screen.

Am I a lost item that Zhenzhen needs to claim?

The wait always felt long. The female photographer crouched down beside Ye Zhuyi and started sharing the results of her day’s work. Taking candid stills was a technical skill; the photographer had to make sure they didn’t get in the shot while finding the perfect angle.

The female photographer was truly skilled. The candid stills she captured were stunning, with perfect lighting and color. On the screen, Qin Zhizhen was shown slightly turning her head to look at the train station. Half of her face was bathed in sunlight, making her eyes sparkle, while the side closer to Chen Ming was cast in shadow.

“These are amazing,” Ye Zhuyi praised without reservation.

The female photographer beamed with delight. “You have a good eye!” she said with a playful arch of her brow.

“Stop showing off,” the male photographer joked, his tone light. “Teacher Ye, weren’t the promotional photos I took for you good enough?”

“They were great, actually. I saved all of them,” Ye Zhuyi said, her eyes curving into a smile. “It’s just that the resolution is lower and they have watermarks. It would be perfect if I had the original files.”

“Of course the originals are better,” the male photographer replied. “If you want them, I can send them to you separately.”

“That would be great, thank you,” Ye Zhuyi said. After a moment’s thought, she added, “Let’s add each other as friends first.”

After Ye Zhuyi added both photographers, the female photographer said, “I can’t send them to you right now. These stills can’t be leaked.”

“I know,” Ye Zhuyi smiled. “I’ll ask you for them after the movie is released.”

“Hahaha, perfect!” The female photographer checked her watch and muttered, “The person claiming this lost item is taking forever. The ‘lost item’ is about to sprout mushrooms from crouching so long.”

“Your one might be slow, but others are fast,” the male photographer said, glancing at her and then nodding toward the side.

Ye Zhuyi looked up and saw Qin Zhizhen’s slender figure emerge from the heavy curtain of rain. Step by step, she walked toward Ye Zhuyi, her footsteps echoing against the drumming of the rain and the pounding of Ye Zhuyi’s heart.

“The one claiming this lost item is actually Teacher Qin,” the female photographer said, surprised.

“Claiming a lost item?” Qin Zhizhen said with interest. She looked down at Ye Zhuyi, who was curled up on the ground like a stray waiting to be taken home. “Let’s go, Lost Item.”

Ye Zhuyi stayed crouched, her lips twitching into an awkward but polite smile. “Teacher Qin, I… my legs are numb.”

She had been crouching for too long.

Qin Zhizhen froze for a moment. She brought a hand to her lips and cleared her throat, as if suppressing a laugh.

Ye Zhuyi pouted. “Could you… help me up?”

“Could I?” Qin Zhizhen lowered her hand and stared at her with a faint, knowing smile. She repeated the key word, “Teacher Qin?”

She deliberately drew out the syllables, her voice low and soft, as if rolling the words on her tongue. It sounded thick and sweet, like cotton candy being spun into sticky threads.

Ye Zhuyi’s ears burned and felt soft. She lowered her head to hide the shyness and joy that were about to overflow, and murmured, “Zhenzhen… give me a hand up.”

This time, her tone wasn’t polite at all. It sounded like a coquettish complaint.

Qin Zhizhen moved the umbrella aside and stepped a little closer under the beach umbrella, extending her hand.

Rainwater dripped from the umbrella’s surface, rippling into the lake of Ye Zhuyi’s heart. Ye Zhuyi placed her hand in Qin Zhizhen’s warm palm, the corners of her lips slowly curving upward.

Rounding up, this counts as holding hands, right?

Ye Zhuyi stood up.

Qin Zhizhen naturally withdrew her hand. She noticed that Ye Zhuyi’s clothes were a bit wet, and the outline of her underwear was faintly visible.

The two photographers’ assistants also ran over with umbrellas. Qin Zhizhen raised her umbrella again and silently moved next to Ye Zhuyi, shielding her. “Is your leg feeling better?”

Ye Zhuyi moved her numb leg, felt the numbness fade, and nodded.

“Let’s go then,” Qin Zhizhen said.

Thunder rumbled, and another flash of lightning split the distant sky. Qin Zhizhen’s body swayed, and her face turned deathly pale as she stumbled back two steps, crashing into Ye Zhuyi’s arms behind her and stepping on her foot in the process.

Ye Zhuyi ignored the pain in her foot and reached out to support Qin Zhizhen. The warmth and slight trembling of her arm transmitted through her palm. Ye Zhuyi glanced sideways at Qin Zhizhen, whose face looked even paler, then looked up at the sky and frowned.

Zhenzhen had never been afraid of thunder before.

As the rumble faded, Qin Zhizhen finally snapped back to her senses. “Sorry,” she said softly. “Did I step on your foot?”

“It’s fine,” Ye Zhuyi replied, her expression unchanged. “My leg is still a little numb. Can I… hold your arm?”

It was common for close female friends to walk arm in arm, but Ye Zhuyi harbored feelings that were anything but platonic. Asking this made her feel strangely guilty, as if she were stealing something, even though she only wanted to give Zhenzhen someone to lean on.

“You can,” Qin Zhizhen said, her voice still trembling slightly.

Ye Zhuyi rubbed her damp palms together, took a discreet deep breath, and slipped her arm through Qin Zhizhen’s.

With every clap of thunder, Qin Zhizhen pressed closer to Ye Zhuyi, who would gently pat her shoulder in comfort.

The touch of their skin sent a jolt through Ye Zhuyi, a tingling sensation that washed over her entire body and left her breathless.

She wished the walk would last forever, yet she ached for the terrified look on Qin Zhizhen’s face to disappear.

“Qin… Zhenzhen,” Ye Zhuyi said. “You’re afraid of thunder. Why did you come to pick me up?”

“Is ‘Qin Zhenzhen’ some new nickname?” Qin Zhizhen asked. Her tone was meant to be playful, but her voice remained tense. “What else was I supposed to do? Let you get soaked in the rain?”

She could have let someone else pick her up, but Qin Zhizhen didn’t trust anyone else with the task. As for why she didn’t trust them, she couldn’t say.

Rainwater dripped from the umbrella, sending ripples through Ye Zhuyi’s heart.

By the time they reached the RV, the rain had slowed. The driver opened the door, and Qin Zhizhen held the umbrella over Ye Zhuyi, gesturing for her to get in first. Only after that did she climb in herself, folding the umbrella and placing it in the bin by the door.

“Your clothes are wet. I have a hairdryer if you want to dry off,” Qin Zhizhen said.

Ye Zhuyi nodded, her ears burning. She had been holding her arm across her chest the whole walk over, thinking Qin Zhizhen hadn’t noticed.

Qin Zhizhen plugged in the hairdryer and handed it to her.

“Thanks,” Ye Zhuyi said, taking it and aiming it at the damp spots on her clothes.

Qin Zhizhen picked up her tablet and started playing a match-three game.

By the time Ye Zhuyi’s clothes were mostly dry, the RV still hadn’t started. She unplugged the hairdryer, put it away, and handed it back to Qin Zhizhen.

“Are we waiting for the rain to stop?” Ye Zhuyi asked.

Qin Zhizhen put the hairdryer away and glanced out the window. Her brow furrowed for a moment before relaxing. “Yeah,” she said softly. “I don’t like driving in the rain.”

Ye Zhuyi suddenly remembered the day Qin Zhizhen’s family had their accident. It had been a stormy day with thunder and lightning.

The rain stopped. The driver started the car and drove smoothly. The windows were fogged up with condensation. Ye Zhuyi balled her hand into a fist and pressed it against the glass, then tapped it five times with her index finger.

A small footprint.

It was a childish gesture, but it was endearing. Qin Zhizhen smiled and pressed her own hand against the glass next to it.

Ye Zhuyi looked at the two side-by-side footprints and drew a few lines above them.

“What’s this?” Qin Zhizhen asked. “An arch bridge?”

“…It’s a rainbow,” Ye Zhuyi said.

Qin Zhizhen raised an eyebrow and looked at the lines Ye Zhuyi had drawn.

They were colorless, just a few connected streaks forming a curved shape. It could easily be mistaken for an arch bridge.

Ye Zhuyi coughed awkwardly and explained, “Don’t rainbows always appear after a storm?”

Qin Zhizhen raised an eyebrow again. “It’s dark out.”

The night sky had fallen. Outside the window, there was nothing to see but the city’s bright lights. No rainbows were visible.

Ye Zhuyi fell silent.

“Teacher Qin,” Ye Zhuyi said in a soft, almost coquettish yet reproachful tone. “You’re teasing me.”

She had switched back to the formal address. Qin Zhizhen’s eyebrows twitched slightly, but she neither confirmed nor denied it. Instead, she just stared at Ye Zhuyi without saying a word.

After a two-second standoff, Ye Zhuyi couldn’t keep a straight face anymore and burst out laughing. “Does teasing me make you happy?”

Seeing Ye Zhuyi’s speechless, aggrieved expression, Qin Zhizhen’s mood indeed became exceptionally pleasant. The panic and annoyance caused by the rainy day seemed to have completely vanished. She turned her head away from Ye Zhuyi and let out a soft “Hmph.”

Ye Zhuyi froze for a moment, her heart fluttering. She lowered her head and said in a voice so low it was almost inaudible, “If it makes you happy, you can bully me as much as you want.”

Qin Zhizhen didn’t hear her clearly. She turned back and asked, “What did you say?”

“I said,” Ye Zhuyi tried to steady her pounding heart, “If it makes you happy, just bully me a bit more. I don’t mind.”

Qin Zhizhen glanced at Ye Zhuyi’s gentle smile, her eyes flickering. She turned her head to look at the scenery receding behind them and cursed with a smile, “Stupid.”

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